Scrivener History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Scrivener family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Scrivener is for a writer to the court. This name comes from the Old French word scriven, which was the title of the person employed to keep official records of trials.

Early Origins of the Scrivener family

The surname Scrivener was first found in Scriven, a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire. The township comprises about 1598 acres, and includes the villages of Scriven and Tentergate, which latter forms part of the town of Knaresborough. The place name was derived from The Domesday Book 1 entry Scrauing(h) which in turn was derived from the Old English expression "Hollow place with pits" 2

Early History of the Scrivener family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scrivener research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1608, 1609, 1629, 1660, 1688 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Scrivener History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scrivener Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Scriven, Scrivener, Scrivenor, Scrivner and others.

Early Notables of the Scrivener family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Matthew Scrivener (1580-1609), an English colonist in Virginia, Colonial Governor of Virginia (1608-1609.) Born in Suffolk, England, he drowned at the age of 28 with eight other colonists, while attem...
Matthew Scrivener (fl. 1660), was an English divine, probably descended of the family of Scrivener of Sibtoft. He became vicar of Haslingfield in Cambridge, and died shortly before 1688. 3

Migration of the Scrivener family to Ireland

Some of the Scrivener family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scrivener migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Scrivener or a variant listed above:

Scrivener Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mathew Scrivener, who settled in Virginia in 1607
Mathew Scrivener, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1607 4
Edward Scrivener, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 4
Richard Scrivener, who landed in Maryland in 1678 4
Benjamin Scrivener, who landed in Connecticut in 1680 4

Scrivener Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Nicholas King Scrivener, who landed in New York in 1830 4

Scrivener migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Scrivener Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Scrivener, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. James Scrivener, (b. 1818), aged 19, English agricultural labourer who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1893 6
Mr. William Scrivener, (b. 1810), aged 27, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Fanny Scrivener, aged 26, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Marion" 7
Isabella Scrivener, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Marion" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Scrivener (post 1700) +

Wayne Allison "Chuck" Scrivener (b. 1947), American former Major League Baseball shortstop who played from 1975 to 1977 for the Detroit Tigers
Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener (1813-1891), English scholar of the New Testament from Bermondsey, Surrey, member of the English New Testament Revision Committee which produced the Revised Version of the Bible
Nick Scrivener (b. 1970), Australian professional rugby union coach and former player from Canberra
David Jeremy Scrivener (b. 1965), Australian actor from Sandy Bay, Tasmania, best known for his appearances on the television series Bananas in Pajamas and The Girl from Tomorrow Part II: Tomorrow's End
Colin Scrivener (b. 1970), Canadian former football player from Winnipeg, Manitoba; he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1995-1997) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1998-2002), brother of Glen Scrivener
Glen Scrivener (b. 1967), Canadian former football player in the Canadian Football League for 12 years from Winnipeg, Manitoba, awarded the Tom Pate Memorial Award (1998)
Christiane Scrivener (b. 1925), French politician from Mulhouse, France, member of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's Parti républicain
Anthony Frank Scrivener QC (1935-2015), British barrister, best known for his defence of Saddam Hussein against mass murder charges
Richard Scrivener (1913-1993), British mechanical engineer
Margaret Mary Scrivener (1922-1997), Canadian politician, Progressive Conservative Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985, Minister of Revenue (1977-1978), Minister of Government Services (1975-1977)
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARION 1851 - HER HISTORY. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Marion.htm